Anonymous benefactor gifts books to Kelso library
Monday, December 18 2006
The icing on the cake for Kelso library’s centenary year has come in the form of a generous, anonymous gift – a mystery benefactor is set to ensure that the library is fully stocked with bestsellers.
One hundred years ago in 1906, the people of Kelso had to raise money by subscription to provide books for their new library. A stipulation of the grant provided by Andrew Carnegie, the Dunfermline-born philanthropist was that, in addition to the land and all the running expenses being paid for by the Burgh, the sum of £500 had to be found to buy stock.
However in 2006, an anonymous benefactor has gifted a substantial sum of money to allow McGregor's Books of Kelso to supply the library with the top two paperbacks from the Daily Telegraph best sellers list every week for the next few months.
Librarian Ruth Holmes is absolutely thrilled at this fantastic gift: "When Mr Lawson from McGregor’s books came in to tell me the good news I was absolutely delighted. 2006 has been a really good year for Kelso Library. In May we celebrated our Centenary, which was enjoyed by a lot of people. In August we received funding to mount a display highlighting the Kelso Archive – this is a unique collection of papers which were saved for the town, with a small number of them being housed in a specially constructed cabinet within the library."
"In September our Friends group were awarded £10,000 from Awards for All, which was in addition to funding we had already received from Charity begins at Home and the Abbey Row Community Centre. This has resulted in the transformation of the derelict land at the rear of the garden into a paved reading area which can be enjoyed by a wide spectrum of the community."
"To have this very significant gift has just been the icing on the top of the cake for Kelso Library in 2006 and I am sure the library will go from strength to strength in 2007."
"I would like to thank this mystery donor very much and also Mr Lawson from McGregor’s Books for his contribution to the gift."
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